The Square Mile, otherwise known as the City of London, is the area that constituted the original area of London from its settlement by the Romans in 1CE to the Middle Ages, before it massively outgrew its boundaries. Spanning the area from Chancery Lane to Tower Bridge, and from above the Barbican down to the River, the City packs a lot into its small area.
Kate, Gin and I chose a beautifully sunny Sunday to wander from near Chancery Lane down to the Tower with Louise, a Kiwi friend who is currently touring Europe – lucky her! We started at St Etheldreda’s Church, the oldest Roman Catholic church in London. It was built around 1250-1290 and is now sandwiched between more modern buildings, but still open for services and going strong.
From there it was an easy amble down the road to St Paul’s, which was unsurprisingly humming with tourists… which I guess we sort of were too!
The West Front
Louise & me by St Paul’s
St Paul’s Cathedral from Millennium Bridge
We crossed over the Millennium Bridge, which sadly no longer wobbles, and passed by the Globe. I was gutted to miss out on the summer performances of Shakespeare, but will definitely be locking it in for next year!
Kate, Gin and I by the Globe
I love coming across places and landmarks that I’ve never even heard of – there are so many beautiful and noteworthy buildings in London! This stunner is the Hay’s Galleria, built as an enclosed wharf in 1856 and one of the main entry points for tea to London. Although at that stage the area wasn’t roofed, I love picturing the tall clippers sailing in amongst the buildings to offload their exotic wares.
The Galleria in the sunshine
The Tower of London and Traitor’s Gate
Another thing I love about walking along the Thames is all the little parks and squares scattered along the path – they were full to bursting on such a lovely day. These kids chasing the bubbles were so cute!
Our final stop on our little walking tour was Tower Bridge. I was more excited than the bubble kids when we realised that it was going up, and we raced from the road down to the riverside for a perfect view (and yes, I did only get photos of the second half!).
We had a great time seeing some of the highlights of the City on our little wander – long may the sunshine continue!
